After Five Years
by consistentlyrandom
Summary: All-human AU ONESHOT. "Everyone needs three things in life: hope, happiness, and a purpose." Damon returns to Mystic Falls after five years, determined to find the girl he loves and make a difference.


Inspired by the short story by O. Henry, _After 20 Years, _and the song "A Team" by Ed Sheeran.

_. . ._

Damon drove slowly through town.

Nothing had really changed in Mystic Falls since he's been gone. For the past four years, he's been traveling around Europe. He had a sufficient amount of money that allowed him to go visit the little best little restaurant on the curving streets of Spain to have a dish of paella and stay in the luxurious hotels in France. He had decided to come back to Mystic Falls when he was in Britain.

. . .

Damon had just walked out of _Monet's_, a small bakery. The air was chilly and he was looking around the people rushing around him. He was surrounded by people. So why was it that he felt lonely?

He sat down against the wall outside the café. He watched the people hustle by him. Sometimes if someone looked interesting enough, he would make up an interesting story about them. That girl over there with the red scarf? She was an aspiring artist who's inspiration was her child. That old man sitting on the bench? Well, he was waiting there for his wife to come so they could go see a play after she got back from a lunch with her friends.

He stopped after he realized all the stories left him with a bitter feeling that made him feel even more alone.

"Sir? Here, take this."

Damon looked up to see a girl holding her closed hand out. Did he look that pathetic where it looked like he needed handouts?

"I don't need that," he said.

"Everyone needs some," the girl said. She had auburn hair that was tucked under a black knitted hat. Freckles adorned her nose and cheeks.

"I don't need money." That was the last thing Damon needed.

"It's not money," she scoffed. "Someone gave this to me. He said pass it on and I'm just passing it on. Just take it." She placed whatever she was holding in front of him and walked away.

Damon looked down. He saw the piece of paper and opened it.

_Everyone needs three things in life: hope, happiness, and a purpose. Hope that things get better. That it'll all be okay one day. Happiness, whether you need someone to make you happy or you spend life making people happy. Have a purpose. A purpose to do something great in your life. Make an impact. Do something. Live a life that you'll be proud of when you look back on it. _

_. . ._

Damon had carried the worn piece of paper ever since he found it.

He had realized that he as not living a life he wanted to look back on. He was 23 and already lonely. Of course, girls threw themselves at the gorgeous blue-eyed man but he never let it go too far. He wasn't able to ever since that one night.

Damon had a large envelope with him. He planned on getting rid of it along with the note tonight.

He grew frustrated when he realized he didn't know who to give it to.

The blue Corvette slowed down to a crawl and parked in the parking lot at The Grill. Damon climbed out of the car. It was drizzling. He leaned against his car for a while just watching the rain fall around him.

His attention was diverted from the rain when he saw someone leave the restaurant. He hadn't been here for five years but he recognized that face. He watched her stop when she got outside. She tilted her face up toward the rain, letting it mist over her. She started to make her way to her car when someone else left.

"Wait!"

She turned around toward the voice. "Go away, Mark," she said harshly.

"I'm sorry! It was uncalled for. I didn't mean it," Ben said back to her. He caught up to her and grabbed her wrist. She quickly tried to pull her arm away from him but he tightened his grip.

"Elena, listen…I have a proposition for you…" Ben said in a low voice.

"No! Now let me go!"

"I'm trying to help you…I know you're tight on cash. I'll give you five hundred if you spend the night with me."

"You're disgusting! I'm not a prostitute!" she yelled in horror.

"Well if you're not going to sleep with me without putting a price on it, I might as well have tried," he shrugged. "You're a fucking prude, 'Lena. You're not saving yourself for anyone so what is it? Am I not good enough for you? Get off your fucking high horse. Fucking tease."

Damon watched the whole exchange. Elena? Damon reached into his car and looked at the envelope that he's been keeping in his car. He scribbled something on a napkin that was stuffed in a cup holder which he placed into the envelope. He was about to put the envelope back down when he decided to reach into his pocket and add something else.

It was now too dark to see their faces because the parking lot had no light. It started to rain.

Mark got in his car and left, leaving Elena standing in the middle of the parking lot.

Damon walked over to her small figure.

"Hey," he said in a soft voice.

She sniffled. "I'm sorry, that was loud. That was inappropriate," she mumbled, walking with her head down. She felt embarrassed about the whole exchange and now this stranger was taking pity on her. She didn't realize that she was actually talking to her old best friend.

He grabbed her arm and she flinched. Damon immediately dropped her arm. "It's fine. Do you need a ride somewhere?"

Elena still couldn't see this stranger's face. Why the hell not. She was sure that this stranger could not do anything as bad as what she's already been through. She didn't value her life very much these days but she did have enough dignity to say no to douche bags like Marcus Giorgio.

"Yes please," she said softly. She followed his figure to his car where he opened the door for her.

Damon grabbed a heavy leather jacket with a bulging pocket from the backseat and wrapped it around her shivering form. He took her in. She was skinny, definitely skinnier than she was since he last saw her. He wondered if she was eating. Her eyes looked hollow. Emotionless. Dead.

She looked forward, not wanting to see this mystery guy. He would no doubt take pity on her. She didn't recognize his voice, so, maybe if she was lucky, he wouldn't know her or her back story.

Damon stuck the key in the ignition and turned the heat on high. Elena sighed happily.

"So."

"Uh, don't you know how to drive?" Elena asked when she realized he wasn't moving.

"I know how to drive," he snorted.

"So we aren't moving because…?"

"I heard you were tight on cash."

"Oh _hell_ no," she said angrily. "I'm not a whore! You can't buy me! I should've known…"

"No! Wait! That wasn't why I was asking!" Damon said before she could get out of the car.

Elena eyed the faceless stranger warily. "Fine. Why?"

"I want to know what happened."

She barked a humorless laugh. Was he kidding? When he didn't say anything, she sighed. "I…I…yea. What happened to me where I got here or what happened tonight? Well, I guess it all built up. Why the hell not tell my life story to a stranger," she mumbled. The guy could be a murderer for all she knew. Not that he would get much out of her. The night couldn't get worse. "I'm tight on cash. I have been for a while. My parent's are dead and they left me and my brother everything. My aunt moved in with us for a while since we were both in high school at the time." she took a shuttering breath before continuing. "Well, turns out that my aunt had a gambling problem. She gambled most of our inheritance away then moved to California. Anyway, my brother didn't know how to cope I guess. He turned to drugs. So the rest of the money is going to his rehabilitation. I don't have much for anything else. I'm just lucky there is no mortgage on the house or anything so I just worry about water and electricity." She sighed and ran a hand through her wet hair.

"That's…rough. I mean you're only twenty. What about college?"

Elena whipped her head around. How did he know she was twenty? She tried to catch a glimpse of the stranger but Damon kept his head in the shadows when he realized what he gave away.

"Um…I…I dropped out when I couldn't keep up the payments. I couldn't take out a student loan."

"Oh."

Damon started the car and started to drive. Once he pulled into her driveway, he turned to her. She looked back at him in confusion. He realized that he messed up again and gave away too much. He didn't want her to recognize him. He wasn't the same Damon he was before when they were teenagers. He was ashamed that he left her. He was even more ashamed of how her life came out. _If only he stayed. _

Damon remembered the think envelope he placed in the leather jacket that hung on Elena's shoulders. He smiled.

"It'll get better," he whispered.

Elena looked at the faceless man and felt herself feel safe for the first time. She nodded and went to take off the jacket.

"Take it."

"No, it's fine-"

"Really. Take it."

Elena's eyebrows came together in confusion. Choosing not to argue, she left the car with the leather jacket on her shoulders.

"Thank you," she said in a gentle voice before closing the door. She closed the door and stood in the rain, staring at the driver. The stranger shifted slightly and she mesmerizing blue orbs caught her eyes.

_She knew those eyes anywhere. _

Elena's eyes widened and she took in his dark hair and smooth skin that she failed to see when hidden in the shadows.

"Damon?"

Damon gave a small smile before pulling away. She wasn't sure if he heard her.

Once Damon rounded the corner, Elena moved from her rooted position. She ran to her house and took off the leather jacket which fell to the floor. When she picked it up again, something fell out of one of the pockets.

Elena took a deep breathe at the sight of the envelope. Her shaking hands ripped it open and found three things.

Well more than three things because one of those "things" were wads and wads of cash.

Elena saw a little slip of paper that read:

_Everyone needs three things in life: hope, happiness, and a purpose. Hope that things get better. That it'll all be okay one day. Happiness, whether you need someone to make you happy or you spend life making people happy. Have a purpose. A purpose to do something great in your life. Make an impact. Do something. Live a life that you'll be proud of when you look back on it. _

On the back of it, it said, _pass this on._

There was also a hastily written note on a Starbucks napkin.

_Elena-_

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry for a lot of things. For leaving. For leading a sad life. For not checking up on you. For you losing your parents. For living a life that I'm not proud to look back on._

_But things are going to change. Starting now._

_This money is for you to use. It's half a million dollars. It'll keep you comfortable for a while until I come back. _

_I'm leaving again. I'm tying up loose ends and once I finish, I'm coming back. I understand if you hate me. I just can't leave you again. _

_You probably think I'm pitying you. I know you, Elena and in return, you know me. I'm not pitying you. You would know that if you knew the reason I left in the first place. _

_I left because I fell in love with you. I was scared. I didn't know what was happening and I felt that I had to find myself before I was able to healthily love someone. But once I found myself, I was so scared to come back. I was afraid you'd hate me. And I couldn't bear the thought of that. _

_So here's the thing. I'll come back to you. If you want to talk to me, move one of the pots that I know should still be on your backyard and put it on your front porch by the door. If you don't want me around, don't do anything. I'll know._

_I want to help you. Because in there is still the girl I love. _

_I love you, Damon. _

_Elena stared at the note for a long time. Then, she moved to her backyard and grabbed her favorite planter's plot that held a small maple tree. She set it on her porch right next to the wooden door where it stood proudly. Looking at the little tree, Elena realized that it stopped raining._


End file.
